Middle School: Picking Young Adult Literature

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

To keep up with young adult literature is challenging. Actually, it’s impossible. With so much being published every year, it is hard to discern what to recommend and what not to. In my opinion, middle school is one of the most challenging age groups to read with. First of all, they want to read adult books, but aren’t necessarily ready for them. What I mean by this is that they may be intellectually ready for the words, but the life context behind them isn’t there. Secondly, there are many books marketed for the age group, but the content is too adult and inappropriate. It can be hard to find a balance. I struggle with it, and I know MS parents do as well.

I follow several groups on social media geared towards reading and writing teachers of middle school students. I find a lot of great books and ideas this way that are current and reliable. I recently read a post by a middle school teacher at a public school who was facing the challenge of having a new book added to the curriculum to replace The Pearl by John Steinbeck, which had been read by 8th graders at the school for as long as any of the teachers could remember. She asked, Why? and was met with answers of, “It’s a classic!” and “Because we’ve always read this.”

I have made the choice to educate in independent schools for many reasons, but one is that I can change with the times a bit more easily. I can adjust literature to students’ likes and interests quickly and stay relevant and true to their learning needs.

I am reading a novel with 8th years that I am excited about. In fact, I’m downright ecstatic about it. I have been searching for a novel that accurately depicts life of Native Americans currently living on reservations, and this novel is the perfect companion to the curriculum. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie delivers a relatable, coming-of-age story that has edge that teens will like. This winner of the National Book Award for Young Adults is a controversial choice for some schools because it mentions alcoholism, depression, and has a few lewd teen jokes. However, as is rarely the case with young adult books these days, it does not solely focus on these.

I have decided to read this novel with my students during class time in order to help them navigate the content and stop for meaningful discussion. There are strong parallels that can be made to history and fantastic lessons that will come of it while discussing its relation to the Master Narrative. I feel lucky that I am able to teach in a place where current content and methods are embraced in a changing world.

Middle School: Making Connections

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Social emotional well being for adolescents is a priority at Fraser Woods. In addition to our academic and physical programs, we ensure that students have experiences and learning that will enhance their personal growth. Interpersonal and resiliency skills are factors in the whole child. Through team building, advisory, and leadership, we work throughout the day and year on these.

Last Friday, we had a great time at Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY for our team building trip. The weather could not have been better. The day began with breaking into two groups. Students participated in some challenges that required them to hone in on their communication skills. Then, they went into the woods for some low ropes initiatives before an afternoon, all together, swinging in the trees on the high ropes!

Recently, 6th grade advisory has been focusing on inspiration using the Responsive Advisory program. They have been sharing inspirational moments in their lives in addition to how they have been inspiring to others. Students have written personal quotations to hang in their lockers, motivating them throughout the year.

In 7th year advisory, students are reflecting upon our favorite aspects of middle school and thinking about ways to overcome obstacles.  One focus is conversing with one another to try to find strategies to assist us with overcoming these obstacles.   Students are also discussing SMART goals and focusing on specific goals, identify how to measure these goals and thinking about actions they can take to achieve these goals.
8th year students have been focusing on communication in advisory. How can we effectively communicate with one another in supportive and kind ways? How are our words affecting others throughout the day? Students have been reflecting also on perception, judgment, and taking responsibility for our words/actions.

Middle School: Feeling Like Fall

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Another wonderful week has passed us by in Middle School. Everyone is feeling comfortable and has hit their rhythm. It is exciting to watch as the students are learning, exploring, and making amazing connections in their classes.

Math Mania began this week! This team-based game features the focus concepts for the new, grade-level units we began exploring this week.  For example, grade 7 is using the distributive property to figure out how to solve complex equations, and they are racing in Math Mania to figure out how they can use the distributive property to combine like terms.  Grade 6 and grade 8 visited the Zen Garden to play Math Mania, and teams faced off in a battle to the finish line.
8th year science students have been conducting labs discovering the conservation of mass, the water cycle, and transferring energy. 8th years were also able to visit the trails to conduct research on what makes a system in nature. 7th years determined how to calculate an object’s density by finding its mass and volume. Mass was measured using a triple beam balance while volume was determined by water displacement. 6th year students have been working on their unit, Mapping Earth’s Surface. Labs have involved learning how to use a compass, representing a two-dimensional map of Earth, discovering latitude/longitude of known locations, topography, and  landforms.
Humanities classes completed their first round of current events that included topics like success rates among emotionally intelligent people, the effects of hunting sharks, and new technology being developed to reduce food waste. Students presented summaries of their articles and included compelling reasons why we should care about their piece and how it affects people/the globe. Then, they developed three, thoughtful discussion questions and lead the class in conversation regarding the topic, urging classmates to think critically. Current events days are favorites of mine. It is always exciting to watch students as teachers. The depth of conversation continues to blow me away. In addition to current events, all grades progressed in their novels. 8th years also studied demographics and modern life/culture of Indigenous Americans living on reservations.
Also, check out the pictures of 8th years making lasagna in electives! They brought it to their weekly lunch with Mr. Robertson!

~Parent & Teacher Conferences are coming up!

Parent & Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, October 25th. 

This is to a wonderful time to learn about your child’s progress; it is strongly encouraged that parents attend.  The online Parent & Teacher sign-up will be live on Monday, October 8th – please look for more information in Monday’s School News about scheduling your Parent & Teacher Conference online.  If you are unavailable to meet with your child’s teacher on October 25th, please email your child’s teacher directly about scheduling another day or time that week for a conference.

Middle School: Community Service & Electives Begin

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Happy Friday, everyone. While we had a shorter week this week, a lot has gone on in Middle School.

Two of students’ favorite periods in the rotation are Community Service and Electives. Both began this week, and students embraced it all. Going into different classroom environments and forming connections with younger students are two of the most beautiful aspects of being in a Toddler-8th grade school. It teaches patience, empathy, and responsibility. Middle school students spent a day “training” for their community service work by going through scenarios they could encounter as well as finding solutions to challenges they were nervous about. We talked about being proactive, taking initiative, and a being quiet observer when necessary. It was a successful first day in the classrooms. The pictures speak for themselves.

First trimester electives were presented to students and chosen. Mrs. Hudak will lead Brain Games, Mr. Brown is advising Fantasy Football, and I am leading Cooking Class. There is much anticipation for the next meeting!

In math classes this week, 6th years used a number line on the whiteboard to figure out the location of various numbers and ordered numbers on our human number line on the carpet of our classroom.  7th years solved word problems involving order of operations together.  Which will come first- exponents or addition?

Humanities classes all began with Word Wisdom units and new books. In 6th, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper focuses on being compassionate, empathetic, and non judgmental. This unit on empathy and compassion is a perfect way to start our three years together. We continually link history and current events with the effects on people, past and present. In 7th, we began our unit on Dystopian Society with the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. Do we all strive to live in Utopian communities or a Utopian world? What would it take? In 8th year humanities class, we began Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror and began studying the Master Narrative. We also defined freedom, looking at the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

6th year science students presented their science room scale models. Students learned the importance of measurement and construction by representing models on a smaller scale. 7th year students presented their chapter summaries in class covering key sections of physical science. 7th years were also able to construct and redesign aluminum boats as part of their “Why Redesign” lab. Finally, 8th years have finished their introduction to Earth Science with the conclusion of their observation lab. Their next unit will be on Earth as a System.
Thank you to those who made it to Curriculum Night! We loved sharing our classes with you!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It has been an eventful week in Middle School! Check out what we’ve been up to!

In Science, 6th year students began their unit on Mapping Earth’s Surface. Students will learn how to read a topographic map in addition to other geographic features/maps of Earth. 7th years have been working on defining and illustrating the similarities between atoms, elements and compounds. Mass, volume and density will follow. 8th years are covering Earth as a System. Within this chapter, students will learn what makes Earth a unique planet, the energy in Earth’s system, and ecology. Students will complete the lab,  Testing the Conservation of Mass as part of their chapter.

In Math, students are continuing to build on their skills. This week, they used calculators to check work while solving equations. They have also been actively involved in independent problem-solving.
In Humanities, 6th years continued with the class novel, Out of My Mind, and completed first drafts of their “Where I’m From” poems. They also began to do work on IXL, the new online program middle school students are using to enhance skills in reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. 7th year students continued reading The Giver and began their Community Project. In assigned groups, students have to come up with their version of a Utopian community. They have a list of topics to discuss and decide upon, culminating in a written paper and visual representation that will be presented to classmates. Finally, 8th years were deep in discussion while reading and annotating Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror. The tragic effects of colonization are highlighted in these chapters; however, it is important for students to remember that we learn about the past to move forward. We will begin Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
**Next Friday, October 5th, we will be going to Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY for a day of team building and high ropes. In addition to water, please pack lunch and snack for your child/children!

Middle School: Welcome Back!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

We are having a wonderful start to the 2018-2019 school year! It has been great to welcome the 6th years into our middle school community as well as 3 new students to FWM. As we get back into the swing of things and 6th years adjust to the new schedule, we have had the opportunity to connect as a new, big group as well as in our smaller advisory groups.

This year, we are using the Responsive Advisory curriculum to guide our mornings. The activities help students form relationships and work on the social emotional components of being an adolescent and working with others both in and out of school.

In math classes, all students worked collaboratively to solve an equation using toothpicks.  Then, 7th and 8th year students completed challenges to write and identify expressions and increase.  Finally, 6th years encountered a problem in the math textbook using proportions and identified how their height is in direct proportion to their arm span.
In science classes, 6th year students worked together in groups modeling a scale representation of the science classroom. Students are required to take measurements of classroom furniture, scaling down their size to the fit accordingly to the shoebox (classroom). 7th year students demonstrated the correlation between light height and length of shadow. After students recorded the data, they were asked to represent their data graphically. Finally, 8th years researched, designed and constructed paper airplanes. Upon completion of the planes, students tested the flight distance, modifying their design after several trial flights.
Humanities classes are in full swing. Students have all completed writing assessments to gauge where they are after the long, summer break. They also gave presentations of their independent choice summer reading, which left everyone with a great list of must-reads. Finally, all students recognized 9/11 and discussed its effects on the people in our country. 6th years have been learning to navigate Google Drive & Google Classroom as well as discussing their class read, Becoming Naomi Leon. 7th years have been working on their class novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break and learning about the history surrounding it. They studied the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese Tradition of foot binding, the Boxer Rebellion, and western influence on China around the time of the Boxer Rebellion. 8th years worked on theme, teen connection, and the socioeconomic diversity highlighted in their summer read, The Outsiders.
It is going to be a great fall in middle school. We are all looking forward to moving through the year with your child/children and helping them achieve their personal goals.
***REMINDER***Please send your child/children to school with a water bottle each day to reduce the amount of disposable cups used in the classroom.

Middle School: Getting Close

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

With only one more week of classes, the middle school is working hard to complete units and put forth their best effort, despite the feeling that summer is near.

This week in Math, students worked on identifying which stocks have the most potential to bring in the highest gains.  They were excited to see that out of 83 participants throughout Fairfield County, Fraser Woods students held 6 of the top 10 positions! Incredible!

In Science, 6th year students were finishing their geologic timeline projects. Students created casts and molds of fossils found within a specific period and era. Next, 7th years were busy constructing their model rockets to be launched next week (weather pending). They also had the opportunity to make their own ice cream. Finally, 8th years finished their unit on the ocean basin.

In Humanities, 6th year students were working to finish their novel, Shooting Kabul. They studied the religion of Islam as well as the unfortunate effect of the Taliban on Afghanistan and the Muslim community as well as effect on perception of Muslims in the world. 7th years will be finishing Animal Farm this weekend. This week’s classes were full of exciting discussion about the historical context of the novel- the Soviet Union post-1917 revolution. Finally, 8th years are almost finished composing their graduation speeches and continued their study of To Kill A Mockingbird.

We are excited for Spirit Week next week! Please refer to the email sent on Thursday afternoon for all of the details!

Middle School: The End of the Road

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

There are mixed emotions running their course throughout the middle school this week: laughter, tears, elation about the summer break, sadness over friends graduating, and nervousness over inevitable new beginnings. Graduation rehearsal really made this hit home on Thursday.

This week, ends were tied in all of the classes and fun was had. Some highlights were the rockets in 7th year and reaching the end of our novels in Humanities classes. Spirit Week, including Water Day, was a big hit!

It has been a pleasure to teach your children and reflect about them each week. Looking back at past blog posts, it is amazing to see all the wonderful experiences they have encountered this year. All of the middle school teachers have loved this group and we couldn’t imagine having more fun while teaching. They truly make our jobs a pleasure. We will miss each and every student this summer and look forward to meeting again in the fall.